Lifelong chocolate bars are a thing of the past, in the eyes of Russell and Atwell. The fresh postal chocolate company have delivered their pitch on Dragons’ Den, and come out the other end thriving.
The BBC entrepreneurial show sees business owners face the intensity of the Dragons, who decide whether they believe a company is worth investing into – with hopes for a profitable return.
Some leave with nothing, others have a Dragon on their side, and sometimes, more than one fighting for a business percentage. Russell and Atwell are one of the 2022 firms who entered that lift and hoped for an investment.
We couldn’t resist the sweet treat, so we tried it for ourselves and found out where the business owners are today.
What is Russell and Altwell?
Russell & Altwell is a fresh chocolate postal business owned by Steve Russell and Giles Atwell. Based in Birmingham, they have 30 years collective experience in the making and marketing of chocolate, with Steve as a chocolate scientist.
Launched as an e-commerce business in 2020, the team hand-prepares five varieties of fresh chilled chocolates from their Birmingham kitchen. The products are made with zero palm oil, according to the owners.
Third-generation chocolate entrepreneur Giles spoke about Dragon’s Den and said:
We were pretty nervous about going on Dragon’s Den after less than 9 months of trading, but we hoped Steve’s chocolates would win them over.
Chocolate brand Godiva is where Steve and Giles met. Giles deals with sales and marketing, and has chocolate in his blood as his grandfather began chocolate company, Lesme Ltd, in 1921. His dad ran it for many years before the 1980s.
OK, so the cat is kind of out of the bag. We're standing next to a wall of 120,000 chocolates in our (noisy) cool-room.
If you hadn't figured it out – BBC 1 8pm Thursday night.#dragonsden #bigsecret #chocolate #freshchocolate #russellandatwell
— Russell and Atwell (@RandA_Chocs) March 9, 2022
Costs of the firm’s postal chocolate
Chocolate lovers can opt for letterbox-friendly pouches (from £13.50), refillable glass jars (from £30 for two; from £12 per 180g eco refill) or a regular Russell & Atwell subscription (from £50).
The company has even set up a ‘Dragons’ Den collection’ and special offer on their website, allowing viewers to purchase a three-pack item for £15 in total, which is £4 off the original price.
Its five main chocolate bars: Creamy Milk, Scrumptious Salted Caramel, Cracking Creamy Hazelnut, Smooth Dark and Extra Rich Dark Chocolates are made with high-quality and sustainable ingredients.
The ingredients include responsibly-sourced cocoa, fresh organic British cream, butter, and wildflower honey.
This is a bit harsh from Touker – but we took it on the chin…
— Russell and Atwell (@RandA_Chocs) March 10, 2022
Where is the Dragons’ Den firm today?
Since their Dragons’ Den debut, Russell and Altwell is growing as a business. Their PR has been all over social media, keeping fans up-to-date with their TV appearance, and already has several highly-rated reviews.
Reality Titbit tasted the chocolate for themselves – and can confirm they are fresh, delicious and very unique to other bars that can typically be bought in a shop. So far, the firm has reached at least 1K followers on Instagram.
Having only opened two years ago as an e-commerce business, the company has 35 reviews on their site so far, which are all five stars. “Excellent quality”, “creamy and delicious” and “unbelievable” are some customer descriptions!
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